XBOX Live Decides Your Surname Is Offensive Because It Contains The Letters "G-A-Y"

Reader Richard would like to use his full name as his gamer tag, but XBOX has decided that “Gaywood” is offensive. Here’s his letter:

After that fuss t’other day when Xbox Live banned the gamertag TheGayerGamer, I wondered if this would happen; lo and behold it has. They’ve banned my gamertag too. What makes this funny is that my old tag is just my name — Gaywood is my surname, which they could easily verify from my Live profile etc. I can’t decide if I’m amused or annoyed by this.

Thought you might like to note this in your coverage of the story. I’d suspect anyone with the string “gay” in their name is going to get a free new Gamertag soon. I haven’t played much on public live servers of late, so I suspect this is more likely to be down to an automated script trawling the database rather than individual tags that have been complained about. So, where does this end? What if my home address is in Scunthorpe?

Our sister site Kotaku obtained Mr. Gaywood’s driver’s license, which is more than Microsoft bothered to do:

Seriously, Dick Gaywood must have beat up every day in the sixth grade because of that name. He probably uses that as his gamertag just so he can troll sixth-graders into a game, and kick their asses in displaced vengeance/rage.

If I understand the previous gay gamer tag thread correctly, any reference to homosexuality is ramming the gay agenda down other people’s throats (holy shit, that’s homoerotic), and there are impressionable children who want to play Halo or GTA without being exposed to anyone remotely different from them and things that parents might feel uncomfortable explaining.

Err, I’m pretty sure these bannings are just automated based on user complaints. There’s not some homophobic MS overlord looking to ban people. Users (granted from my Live experiences most of them are homophobic) report these people and after something like X reports the computer tells them to change their name. I know a lot of people here like to blame “M$” and other corporations for anything they can, but come on…

P.S. This name is HILARIOUS.
P.P.S. I went to high school with a kid named Mike Hunt(say it fast).

@spinachdip: Typically I would agree, keep the homosexual stuff out of places where there is kids. But, as a halo player on Xbox live, those kids are bastard children. They are mean, gross, racist, and everything else.

And I am against censorship, so, there should be some kind of waiver you check, that the parents have to do that says, “While your kids are killing bitches in halo, they’ll also be learning new words, and grow custom to repeating them”

Reminds me of AOL a number of years back banning the word “breast” in their online forums for being offensive. They immediately got a ton of flack from the members of a forum on AOL dedicated to survivors of breast cancer. They didn’t like having to refer to themselves as “hooter cancer survivors” thanks to AOL’s censorship. Needless to say they quickly reversed their position once they realized how stupid they had been. However I don’t think MS will reverse this any time soon…

Yeah, it’s absurd. The last time they did this, it could be seen as coming from some thirteen-year-old with issues. Not so much with this.
Perhaps it’s jealousy: wouldn’t you be a bit defensive if you worked in a company with “micro” and “soft” in its name?

Someone in the support department at my company had to change his name for email purposes because customers’ spam filters kept bouncing or deleting his emails based on a match against four consecutive letters in his otherwise-innocuous last name.

@Verdigris: ‘Fraid not, my real name is Richard Gaywood. On the one hand, shortening Richard to Dick isn’t common here in UK. On the other hand, yeah, I think my parents probably displayed poor judgement there.

@quattie: There are three Richard Gaywoods in Google: a cricketer (whose first name is Nick and his middle name is Richard), a 17th century sculptor, and me. All those non-cricket non-old-art links are me.

@katylostherart: You are the first person to even recognise that as Welsh, well done!

@DCKiwi: People keep telling me that if I use my real name on the internet I will die and my house will explode but no-one has actually told me why yet. I’ve been using my real name on forums for ten years now and I’m still not dead.

I interviewed a woman just because her name was Amanda Hugenkiss. She ended up getting the job, not because she was had a favorite TV show reference for a name. We had to ask our receptionist to stop saying “really?” when someome called ‘looking’ for her. It got old really quickly.

If some idiot can change his name to Obi Wan Kenobi, Mr. Gaywood should certainly be allowed use his given name as his GamerTag. What if his name was Richard Head, would Dick Head not be allowed as his tag and banned?

Though personally I would use something more fun like Bob Loblaw’s Law Blog or Bob from Accounting.

I really hate the swarm of homophobes and racists in multiplayer games, so I can see where Microsoft is coming from. I take time to report and rate every player that makes excessive comments about those two things. However, the problem with zero-tolerance is the same problem with mandatory prison sentences – it removes common sense and thought for unique circumstances.

But kids start using gay references, homophobic or otherwise, at a pretty early age. When I was growing up, kids were using “gay” as a pejorative well before Halo-appropriate age. I don’t see the big deal with telling a kid that there are boys who like boys and girls who like girls, and that it’s really nothing to be ashamed of or tease someone about. I learned that around 9 or 10, before I really understood sex, and I don’t feel my innocense was robbed in anyway. I just shrugged and wondered why other kids thought it was such a hoot.

If homosexuality wasn’t so stigmatized, no one would be offended by the mere mention of “gay” or think identifying self as one would be considered promoting it or ramming it down the throat. Well, there is that whole homophobic ethos in the American-English vernacular, but that’s more a subject for the Linguistist than Consumerist.

For those who forgot or never heard it, a fan wanted a New England Patsies jersey with aplayer’s name and number on it. The NFL’s automated system said it was “offensive”, despite *Randall Gay* being a player’s actual name.

@Bladefist“Typically I would agree, keep the homosexual stuff out of places where there is kids.”

First of all, it is “places where there ARE kids.” Secondly, that comment makes you sound like one of those right-wing Christian extremists who is convinced that homosexual individuals are somehow “deviants” that will “turn your kids gay”. Go read a fucking book.

Hopefully they don’t ban mine as it’s offensive to rednecks: “Hicksvillan”, even though it’s part of my name and a city where some relatives live: Hicksville, Ohio.

Also, why do people on XBOX Live pronounce it Hicksvillian, there is no I, and even though there is one is villain, notice the placement of the I there as well, it is silent. Go back to school if you can’t read.

I have had problems using my name Hassan or the variation that I use Hassanchop. I have been told that my name is offensive. I just wonder what the hell they were thinking. Yes Ass is in my name but my name is one of the most common names in the ENTIRE world.

So this means that the South Park teacher, Miss Chokesondick cannot use her name as her xbox handle? How sad.

I’m going to take construction paper and make a frowny face.

As said with the previous post, it’s nice that MS at least makes an attempt to regulate the political correctness of nicknames used by people who kill, rape, maim and torture electronically, for entertainment.

Awesome, too bad more parents do not share the sentiment. I feel like that is one of the issues at the heart of this. Most parents seem to be fine with just buying their kids a new account if banned for whatever reason. Thusly kids learn that they can do and say anything and we get the “Chocolate Milk Kid”

I wish that here @ the Consumerist, we could actually discuss these things maturely instead of starting flame wars and making dick and fart jokes.

I’m sure that it is just an automated system, but the algorithm was written by a human. But no one really cares. My fellow consumerists have made that clear. Microsoft has also made it clear that if you are not a straight male age 8 to 65 or whatever Xbox live is not the place for you. Just like the “Moral” majority of america, fuck fags, towel heads and basically anyone who is not a white god-fearing middle class worker. Fortunately for Bill and Steve’s excellent adventure, there will never be enough people to boycott big “Softy” or “Live” for anything to be resolved and elevate Xbox Live to the unifying community we all hoped it would be.

You know if people were truly homophobic they would stop playing when they see that name. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. The misuse of the word homophobia. By definition it is an irrational fear of homosexual people and if you were a true homophobe you would run in fear at the sight of one. Someone who simply disagrees with the lifestyle is NOT a homophobe

I mean seriously, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?
“The name is Welsh for “St Mary’s church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave” [en.wikipedia.org] .

And to think that I thought German had a fondness for long proper nouns.

It’s gotta be an automatic content filter that it marking this. I’m a community manager for the commenting system for my website. I can see how this would feasibly happen. However, with my system, I would get a notice, I would look at it, and go “Yeah, that’s not offensive or in violation of our T.O.S.

@linbey: Did you know that when people say “filming”, they’re not actually using film?! And street sweeping trucks clean using a brushing, not sweeping motion? And the Pennsylvania Dutch are actually of German, not Dutch descent? THE OUTRAGE!!!!!11!!!11!!!

And how does one disagree with gayness? It’s not a question or an argument or an idea. Disagreeing with sexual orientation seems exactly the type of thing that’s motivated by irrational hatred.

@Michael Belisle: That station used to have a shorter name but figured getting on the Guinness Book of Records would help local tourism. But that double-L is impossible to pronounce for mortals like me.

@spinachdip: I saw that in the Wikipedia article after I read more than the intro. I must, however, pedantically point out that the Guinness Book of World Records didn’t exist until about 100 years after the village changed its name.

@genehuntlover: Good points. Ignore the grammar police. Have you ever noticed people pick on grammar when their stance on the subject is weak?

Also people think your grammar on blog comments speaks to your intelligence. I see a ton of well typed bone head ideas on here. I guess if people want to destroy the youth of America, at least they’ll put it in the time to do with great grammar.

@womynist: If feeling the way I do makes me a “right wing EXTREMIST” then what is non-extremist? Agreeing with you? Actually forget it. I’m glad people like you exist. Somebody has to mow my lawn. When you’re too old, your kids can.

It’s not because of xbox live, cursing, or homosexuality that makes me say that, its just the lack of being a good parent. I can only assume if your kids did drugs, you would say thats a cultural experience. It’s a snow ball effect man. You dont have to teach your kids gays are deviants, but you can keep that stuff out of their lives until they are old enough to understand.

@linbey: Oh right. I forgot that sexual orientation was a choice, because people *choose* to be social pariahs. I mean, estrangement from family, discrimination, mockery, violence – I mean, who wouldn’t choose that? It’s a wonder you and I manage to suppress our urge to go gay. Heterosexuality is such a chore, amirite?

@bladefist: Goodness, you’re frighteningly stupid. What is going to happen to a child which is aware of the concept of a homosexual, exactly? They are more or less aware of the concept of a heterosexual, after all; their parents are probably heterosexuals. Is the idea of two men or women who love each other really THAT destructive? I knew about the existence of homosexuals from a young age and it never killed me; admittedly I’m gay myself, but so did my siblings, and they’re not…

Also, what is this thing about homosexuality being a ‘lifestyle’? Is it because all us gays do exactly the same thing? Oh, dear; I’d better drop the programming and practice for my hairdresser exams, or I might have my license revoked! People who refer to it as a ‘lifestyle choice’, of course, are either deliberately attempting to mislead, or are sufficiently stupid that they have been misled by somebody else.

@Bladefist: Reminds me of the old lawyer’s saying, “If you’re strong on the facts but weak on the law, pound the facts. If you’re weak on the facts but strong on the law, pound the law. If you’re weak on both the facts and the law, pound the table.”

@Robert Synnott: I agree. At what point is it considered to be appropriate to tell a child raised by a gay couple that its parents are both the same sex? Gee, the child might grow up thinking there is nothing wrong with being gay. Horrors. Let me grab my pearls and my crotch to save them from the bad people.

The term ‘gay’ as refering to homosexuals is, as far as I know, quite recent. The word really means to being joyous. If you know the old song “When are harts were young and gay”, you know the song doesn’t refer to being homosexual. Words are only ‘bad’ in the mind of the beholder. Microsoft should really get out of the censering buisness and stick to gaming or software or what ever it is good at.

put the end of your toungue against the roof of your mouth where it meet the top of your front teeth. relax it so it *nearly* seals the airway. now try saying the Ls as if there was an h at the start (i.e for Llan… say hlan).
For extra effect acompany with lots of phlegm, add back of the throat, gutteral spitting (as if you’re going to hack up some extra phlegm) and you’ll be pretty close)
if you want to cheat, my dad’s solution was to say Clan with extra h-iness…

I’ve noticed this increasingly lately. My previously used gamertag that i had for 3 years was recently dubbed as offensive and i was forced to change it. It was jackofasses. Most people on live never complained to me about it, or found it offensive. Most just giggled and found it clever. But, i assume due to a bot swear filter, it has now gone and decided any words containing a swear or ‘offensive’ words is no longer a valid gamertag. I’m willing to bet that making a gamertag with Cockatoo in it, or even cockroach won’t be allowed. Yet i see people finding ways around these filters with the twist oof a word or two.

I understand people will get offended by certain names. Welcome to life. One mans pleasure is another mans pain. But how far do we take political correctness? Why is it, that hundreds of gamers get to be ‘punished’ because of another group of gamers on a private medium. Live has privacy filters, they have ways to avoid players, so why do people still feel the need to rag on someone for a name, which is probably just a joke, or an actual name/nickname the person has in real life, or on the web.

I’m growing increasingly tired of always having to change MY way for the ‘greater good’ of letting people live in their little bubbles where vulgar language and violence and crude behavior don’t exist.

The truth of the matter is, if you’re going to get upset, and take offense to a screen name, then you really need to get out more. I don’t care if you find it funny, or if you don’t find it funny, so long as you know, that it’s just words on a screen, and there is no harm meant by it.

The same people who are crying about our screen names are probably the parents of 12 year old Jimmy who plays gears of war and Left 4 Dead screaming swears and talking trash to people twice his age when mom and dad aren’t home anyway. There’s nothing he’s gonna read, or hear on xbox live that he hasn’t already heard during mommy and daddy’s fights, or in the playground at school.

If you don’t want to expose your kids to vulgard language on the internet, don’t subscribe to xbox live, World of Warcraft, or even the internet. Hey, why not take it a step further, lock your child in the basement away from the light of day with no means of talking to the outside world. Paint the walls powder blue, with flowers and rainbows while you’re at it. Then lets see how well adjusted your brand new sociopathic child turns out to be all because you didn’t let him grow up in the REAL WORLD where nothing is fair, where violence and vulgarity exist and take place in a million different ways EVERY DAY.

Next time you want to cry about something, why not cry to the news stations about broadcasting all that REAL violence taking place in iraq. Or talking about child molesters, rapists and murderers. That is the REAL stuff you should be complaining about and trying to stop. Not vulgarity over the internet.